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I always disconnect batteries in any cars that are stored in my garage for safety issues. Since my Packard battery is under the seat it is very inconvenient to remove the seat bottom each time after a drive. Just curious what other fellow Packard owners are using for battery disconnects that are reliable. Thank you.

There was an install on a prewar car similar to yours where the owner made a nice bracket and mounted a heavy duty Cole-Hersee type switch near the starter. It appeared easy to reach but still fairly low and kind of out of sight. Hopefully the owner or someone who remembers the car will be along because I believe there was a photo posted.

I also used Cole-Hersee type switches on my postwar cars but didn't want to open the hood each time. I made my own custom actuators which are conveniently located under the dash edge -- easy to reach and fairly unobtrusive. One switch is mounted on the firewall with a shaft extension which kept the rotary action and the other switch is mounted under the battery tray with a push pull cable operation. The knobs are convenient but switches themselves are hidden. If you wanted to keep the illusion of authenticity you could do something like that and mount the switch out of sight near the battery. Bring the actuator to a more convenient spot. If a plain switch wouldn't work alone Summit Racing has several different remote actuator setups. The advantage of mounting the switch under is you could interrupt the cable closer to the battery and eliminate a length of unprotected wire.

Whatever you choose, do get a heavy duty quality switch able to carry the 6v current. Cole-Hersee is the name brand but there are others with high current ratings and all metal construction.

For underseat batteries the more-or-less standard method is to locate a rotary switch between your legs as you sit in the driver's seat. You can mount either on the floorboard snug against the seat riser, or on the riser itself. For the best safety use the switch to break the ground cable.

Yes, you can make a neat bracket near the starter and mount a switch there on the hot cable, but having to open the hood each time may eventually discourage use, plus breaking the hot cable is less secure.

PS - though it's on a Twelve, here's a snap of a quality rotary switch mounted near the starter motor and breaking the hot cable - effective but not my preference on how to do it.

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Here is a photo of a Cole-Hersse rotary battery disconnect switch I mounted on the steering column of my 115C. It was placed there for safety not security. Even though it required raising the hood panel to get to the switch, it was convenient and worked well. HH56's installation is more elegant and secure. I made a simple flat mounting plate and secured it with a tail pipe clamp.

Later I moved the battery from under the seat to inside the engine compartment. I removed the C-H switch at that time and now using a heavy duty battery cable disconnect from NAPA. Sorry, no photos of this installation tonight, but I will get you one tomorrow. Again, this was for safety and not security.

All of my vintage cars have had some kind of battery disconnect. No electrical fires in my garage, thank you.

(o{}o)

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Make sure u get one rated at 1000amp. C-H Site has all the numbers with ratings.

I decided to use a different battery disconnect after relocating the battery from under the front seat to the engine compartment. The location of the C-H rotary switch on the steering column became obstructed with the new battery mounting. I am now using a heavy-duty cable disconnect terminal from NAPA. It is convenient to use and simple in construction. Not over joyed with the look of the 'OO' size cable clamping to the terminal, but it works fine. This kind of disconnect terminal works well for under hood battery locations (6- and 12-volt), but not so well for under seat installations.

(o()o)

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I thought I'd share my installation too. I agree that I want to be able to keep the car secure and as fire safe as possible. Also, I wanted the installation to be subtle.

I used the Flaming River 500 Amp option and mounted it to a replacement battery cover. I didn't want to cut into the original underseat cover, so I used 3/16" piece of aluminum and drilled the large hole for the switch, which rotates 90 degrees.

I placed the switch at specific distance from the front of the seat such that I could add a lever that is barely visible from beneath the seat.

This way, there is no obvious switch in the engine compartment for security, and the switch is hidden to preserve visual authenticity.

Plus, with a 500A rating, there is next to zero voltage drop to cause slower starting speed or lower battery charge level.

Pat

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IMO, that is a nice install. Functional, hidden, and most of all, reversible. I'm not too familiar with how much space is available under the cover but obviously there is enough or are you using an Optima. Do you have any photos of that part and is the red end of the handle visible as shown or more covered by the seat cushion.

The knowledgeable above gentlemen give good advice. All i could add is make certain your disconnect switch is rated for more amps than your starter draws. I got a marine brass rotary switch from a NAPA store years ago, sounds like or akin to the Cole Hersee mentioned above. Make certain you use nothing but double aught (00) gauge copper cable. The "heavy duty" cable sold at your local parts house in today's 12-volt world is still way too skimpy for a six-volt system. I had to go to a big rig supply house to find some. Make sure the ends are both crimped and soldered on.

In a '40 One-Twenty i owned long ago, i not only made sure the battery couldn't bounce up and down, but pop riveted some thin aircraft plywood on the facing side of the removable floor access panel---just in case (any dielectric material will do). But then i was using a Group IV battery, standard in Packard Twelves, instead of the Group II called for in One-Twenties and 1939-40 Super-8s. It b a r e l y squeezed in and was a trace taller so i had no option. But still a good idea: An old mechanic told me about the battery posts touching the metal floor of a car on a bumpy road. Yikes!

Do yourself a favor and if/when you need a battery, get an Optima six-volt Red Top. Summit Racing has the best price and free, quick shipping. 800 cold cranking amps and weighs but a fraction of a leaky, off-gassing traditional battery.
I got nearly 10 years out of my last Optima, and it readily turns the gear-reduction starter in my '47 Super Clipper (356-ci). Weight's the enemy of any road car. You save a little here, a little there; it adds up.

Good comments from Su8overdrive, especially the caution about the possibility of having the battery posts contact the metal battery cover for underseat applications, it just points out the importance of the battery hold-down equipment which is too often ignored. Where a Group 4 battery will fit, I'm a big fan of it, specifically the large NAPA Commercial Group 4, over a gel battery; far more cranking amps. They typically have given me 7-8 years of service life.

Current draw of many 6-volt starter motors at lockup is often 800 amps or so, I'd think a 500 amp switch to be just marginally acceptable.